Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar on Tuesday donated Rs 59 lakh while Test regular Cheteshwar Pujara also made an unspecified contribution to the-Cares fund to help tackle the Covid-19 pandemic which has claimed over 100 lives in India.
Pujara joined skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, and Kedar Jadhav, who are among the current set of cricketers to make significant contributions. Among former players, Sachin Tendulkar is among the most notable contributors.
Gavaskar, who is now a sought-after commentator and analyst of the game, did not reveal the contribution himself but a source close to him confirmed the amount after former Mumbai skipper Amol Muzumdar tweeted the same.
“Just heard that SMG has donated Rs 59 lakh towards Covid-19 relief fund. 35 to PMCares Funds and 24 lakhs to CMO Maharashtra. Thumbs up. Superb gesture Sir,” Mujumdar tweeted.
The former Indian captain’s son Rohan Gavaskar confirmed on Twitter that this was done last week. The Rs 59 lakhs was split into 35 because he scored 35 hundreds for India and 24 because he scored 24 for Mumbai.
Pujara, on his part, thanked doctors, para medical staff, and the police. “My family and I have contributed our bit to the-Cares Fund and the Gujarat CM Relief Fund, and hope that you will too. Every single contribution counts, so let us all do our bit and together we will certainly overcome,” Pujara stated.
“We would like to convey our deepest gratitude to all the front-line warriors – medical professionals, police men/women, grocery staff, and so many others – for their dedication, courage and sacrifices in serving our nation and humanity,” he added.